Review of Vacancy (1999) by Anthony H — 03 Sep 2011
"Vacancy" really has some impressive opening credits. The film has a very vintage 1970's horror feel. Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale both deliver with respectable B- performances, yet they still come off as a little bland and the film itself is not really character driven, but going into a horror film one generally does not expect much character development.
Unfortunately, "Vacancy" is very cliché ridden throughout, it has your typical horror mistakes such as car breaking down, no cell phone signal, getting stranded in a deserted location, etc.
Also present are the cheap jump scares such as the loud bang on the door and too much surprise, nobody being there, or the classic telephone ringing when you least expect it; however, there were also several "real" jump scares.
The mood is perfectly set and very eerie, as well as the tension. The film creates genuine nail-biting suspense from 20 minutes in to the final minute of the film. Rating: B-... "Vacancy" despite its constant clichés and flaws, is one hell of a thrill ride that resorts to old school style tension and suspense rather than buckets of gore.
This review of Vacancy (1999) was written by Anthony H on 03 Sep 2011.
Vacancy has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
